Thailand to launch "ASEAN Single Window" system in mid 2012

BANGKOK, February 23 (TNA) - Thailand will launch the so-called "National Single Window" (NSW), an on-line information and database linkage, on May 1, 2012, as part of the country's preparations for the formation of a single community of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2015. Dr. Srinuan Kornkochakorn, Deputy Secretary General of Thailand's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that the FDA, under the Ministry of Public Healh, and the Customs Department, under the Ministry of Finance, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on electronic information and database sharing, to compel with the Agreement to Establish and Implement the ASEAN Single Window, paving the way for the ASEAN Single Community over the next three years, and to further boost operational efficiency of the two government agencies. Dr. Srinuan acknowledged, under the MOU, the first of its kind in Thailand, the FDA is to send details of licensed products to the Custom Department in the form of electronic documents or e-documents. The practice will initially focus on cosmetic products and will later extend to other health products, including food, medicines and hazardous products, in the future. Since September 1, 2012, the FDA will offer a relevant service under which local business operators can submit on-line details of their health products to be imported, showed on their invoice, to the FDA on the voluntary basis to help them prepare and get used to the new regulations and procedures. Under the NSW system, local importers of health products are required to lodge on-line descriptions of the imported products while the Custom Department will provide them with other on-line Customs procedures and codes needed for their importing. (TNA)